(AUBURN) - A northeastern Indiana man says his soldier son-in-law was killed Friday in Afghanistan by an enemy rocket strike.

Matt Beerbower of Auburn tells The Star his 23-year-old son-in-law, Army Sgt. JaBraun Knox, died along with a second soldier when the rocket struck an area where extra shells were stored.

Knox had served in the Army for more than three years and was based at Fort Lewis, Wash. The Auburn man recently returned to Afghanistan after a 15-day leave. The Star reports Knox arrived home April 19 to surprise his wife, Courtney, and their infant son, Braylon, in Auburn.

Knox had been stationed in Afghanistan since November 2011 with the First Battalion 377 Field Artillery Regiment, whose soldiers provide supporting fire for outlying posts and infantry movements.